Heer GD Knights Cross Winner

[Chris Boonzaier]

Another "old collection" thing...

The Tunic of Max Fabich, he only found out he had the KC after the war, so had no sexy ties in the tunic....

[Chris Boonzaier]

1

[Poulton Palmer]

Hi Chris,

this is a nice jacket! I don't know much about this kind of collectionables but I like to see tunics from such highly decorated soldiers!.

I do have a question. This is an officers' jacket of GD, isn't he supposed to have shoulder boards with the initials GD on them?

Greetings,

Poulton

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

Indeed, this was very difficult to find out why this combination was like it was....

I cannot remember the exact details, but He was most of the time with the Division Grossdeutschland, but spent a time commanding the Füsilier Regt of the Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland.... these did not wear the GD.

When I got the tunic, I knew the Origin to be kosher, but thought somewhere along the line someone had removed the GDs, then discovered just why it was like it was.

Best

Chris

[Gordon Williamson]

I had the pleasure of meeting Max Fabich at his home in Berlin. Very nice chap. He only found out about the Ritterkreuz through some of his comrades in the GD Truppenkameradschaft after the war. He had no idea that he had been recommended for it, so of course he never actually received the award before the war ended.

I remember he had his German Cross and some other pieces including a GD cuffband and some shoulder straps in a little tin box. He also still had all his award documents.

He was into radio control model ships and had a couple of large boats in his study.

[Chris Boonzaier]

I remember getting a copy of the citation from you years ago.

I got 4 Knights Cross winner tunics from Willi Waldvogel many years ago, Fabich, Karl Lauch, Peter Prien and an Infantry Feldwebel whose name he had lost. I kept bugging to remember the name on the Feldwebel but he had lost the slip with the name and never managed to remember it.

Best

Chris

[joe campbell]

i don't recognize the cuff title on the right sleeve - help?

sorry willi couldn't remember that 4th name....

joe

[Wood]

Re. cufftitle. Its Sutterlin script and says Grossdeutschland.

Pete

[joe campbell]

thanks,pete!

with the topic being GD, i thought it might be,

but it was hard to make that out!!

joe

[Paul R]

What year(approx) did he receive the award? How were TR era awards presented after the war? Where the awards denazified or were they just pulled from old stock? Did any of you see his actual RK?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

I think it was simply a very late war award and the info did not get through to him. This happened to a number of people in the last days of the war.

Best

Chris

[Paul R]

Yes, but my question is that when he did get the award, after the end of the war, was it normally an unadulterated TR award or a denazified example(swastika filed out)? How long did it take for awards to catch up with the recipient after the war(normally)? What was the latest award that you have seen catch up to the veterans? I have seen some WW2 vets here in the US receive their awards as recently as last month.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Yes, but my question is that when he did get the award, after the end of the war, was it normally an unadulterated TR award or a denazified example(swastika filed out)? How long did it take for awards to catch up with the recipient after the war(normally)? What was the latest award that you have seen catch up to the veterans? I have seen some WW2 vets here in the US receive their awards as recently as last month.

I am pretty sure there was no catch up at all. If you did not have it at the end of the war, tough titties.... and if you wanted one... you had to buy it.

[Paul R]

LOL! I understand! Thanks Chris.

[hucks216]

Very nice tunic. Just as an addition, here is Max Fabich's signature in a Wehrpass to a soldier in his Kompanie who was killed in December 1941...

[hucks216]

And here is his entry in Die Ritterkreuzträger des Panzerkorps Großdeutschland...

Maximilian Fabich hatte das Pz.Füsilier-Rgt GD am 13 Februar 1945 übernommen. Der damalige Major Fabich war der Nachfolger des Bisherigen Kommandeurs, Oberst von Breese-Viniary, der aufgrund von Auseinandersetzungen mit dem Divisionskommandeur Generalmajor Lorenz quasi seiner Dienststellung enthoben worden war.

Major Fabich führte die GD-Panzerfüsiliere während der letzten Kämpfe in Ostpreußen.

Im Verlauf des Krieges war Fabich bereits dreimal als Führer verschiedener Einheiten zum Ritterkreuz vorgeschlagen worden, allerdings wurde die Verleihung nie genehmigt. Für persönliche Tapferkeit wurde ihm aber bereits am 19 Januar 1942 also Oberleutnant und Kompanieführer der 3./IR (mot.) GD das DKiG verliehen.

Am 4 März 1945 gelang den Sowjets ein Einbruch in das Vorwerk Korschelken. Dieser Einbruch bedrohte auch die ungeschützte Flanke der deutschen Truppen, die sich zu einem Geganangriff südlich von Konradswalde bereitstellten. In zweitägigem harten Kampf gelang es jedoch den GD-Füsilieren, teilweise in Nahkämfen, das Vorwerk weider freizukämpfen. Bis zum Abend 5 März wurden alle Bolschewisten aus Korschelken vertrieben und das angrenzende Gelände von deutschen Einheiten besetzt.

Weiterhin wurden große Mengen feindlichen Kriegsmaterials vernichtet oder erbeutet.

Vor allem aber wurde durch die standhaften Füsiliere unter der schneidigen Führung von Major Fabich die Flankenbedrohung für das 'Unternehmen Ordensritter' ausgeschaltet. Nach diesem Erfolg wurde Fabich erneut zur Verleihung des Ritterkreuzes vorgeschlagen. Major Fabich wurde zum Oberstleutnant befördert und erhieltam 8 Mai 1945 aufgrund des Dönitz-Erlasses das Ritterkreuz verliehen.

There is also a photo of him wearing a feldgrau wrapper (and his RK & DKiG) with the rank of Oberstleutnant and the shoulderboards in the photo also lack the GD cyphers.

Edited January 26, 2012 by hucks216

[Chris Boonzaier]

Magic, thanks... you are going to make me regret having sold the jacket ;-)

[Paul R]

You are just now regretting that?